Thursday, April 28, 2011

English Club

Began English Club today with six students, Chiky's, and a stack of Question of the Week cards.  Relying on my experience with helping Academic Team, the kids had to slap in to answer the question correctly.  "What is your name?" Slap. "Dara."

"Where do you study?" Slap. "I study at Colegio La Senda."

"What chores do you do at home?" Slap. "I make my bed."

The next two competitors face each other and tensely hold their hand a few inches above the desk, willing it to be the first to make contact.

"What do you like to do on the weekends?" came the next.

Slap. "Clean my room!" yelled Alvaro. 

The other five students nearly died laughing.  Eduardo laughed so hard tears streamed down his face.  Alvaro looked a little confused, until one of the others pointed out the question was about the weekend, not chores. "I guess you could like cleaning your room on the weekend," I said, making the students laugh all over again.  Alvaro shook his head and sat down, a little perturbed, but in good spirits nonetheless.

Every Thursday, starting today, I look forward to working with these students after school.  They are the ones who are below the language level of their peers and who are, I'm afraid, many times in their own little world for the English portion of the day.  Through English Club, I hope to boost their language skills by covering the basics that they have not yet mastered and help them study for their Friday quiz.  I also hope it continues to be a lot of fun.  I have found that my lowest language level students really show more of their personality when they aren't in the presence of their more intimidating, nearly fluent classmates.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Resting at Breakneck Speed

Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Guatemala is synonymous with the beach. 


For the La Senda kids, it was no different--Hermana Zucy planned a trip for the kids to a beach house on the Pacific, and I got to accompany them.  Besides playing in the biggest waves I've ever seen (and, along with Lito, serving as live life vests for some of the kids), we swam in the pool at the beach house, saw beautiful beach at the estuary, observed the salt beds, and took a boat out to waters where sea turtles swim.  And with frequent applications of SPF 50, I actually managed NOT to get burned.

La Senda at the Beach 
 Pool time!
 Observing the sea salt harvest
Headed out to see a few sea turtles

On Thursday, Anita invited me to accompany her to tour the Easter celebrations in Antigua.  We attended mass at her church, where the homily was most enlightening, and ate dinner with her family.  At 9:30 in the evening we began our walking tour of several Catholic churches that feature scenes from Jesus's life during Holy Week.  After the first church, we ran into a drenching rain and attempted to wait it out under the eaves of a neighborhood bar, but the water never quite abated.  So, we continued to the other four churches.  Later, we witnessed parts of the late-night processions, including gigantic floats (of sorts), carried by parishioners, entering a church, and later, men dressed as Roman soldiers running in formation through the streets to stop at intended locations and announce the death of Jesus. After observing this, we toured some of the sawdust rugs families were creating in the streets, an Easter tradition here.  Normally they'd be completed by this time, but with the rain, the artists were just beginning their labors. We returned to her house at 1:15 in the morning.

 My favorite church display
 The Roman guard traipsing through Antigua--on horse and on foot
A sawdust rug in progress
Friday night the five youngest boys stayed at my house for a sleepover.  We made pizza, and they had a pillow fight and watched the movie Robots.  I had intended to have a campout on the roof, but the rain cancelled those plans; hence, the boys constructed forts of sorts in the living room.  This morning we dyed Easter eggs, used Resurrection Eggs to tell the Easter story, and had an Easter egg hunt.  My neighbor Litzy joined us for this part, which made all of the boys fall over themselves in their shyness of having a pretty girl their age among them.

Pizza making 
 Pillow fighting
 Egg coloring
Manhunting the last egg
So, I learned very quickly that a house full of boys is quite the experience.  After the third time of going into the bathroom and seeing a seat wet with what I'm sure was not water, we had a lesson on how to use the bathroom at someone else's house.  And tonight I'm pretty sure it was a booger I cleaned off the bathroom wall.  I guess they thought they could take a mini-vacation from all the good hygiene skills they teach at La Senda. Nevertheless, it was a good time with them.

I got to relax with friends--Vero, Christian, and Heidy--this afternoon.  They wanted to show me Tikel Futura, a large mall.  I'm thankful to have people to laugh with and who are quite patient with my Spanish.  They can tease me mercilessly when I say things incorrectly, but they are also quick to help me figure out how to say stuff and ultimately wait for me to make myself clear.  That's nice.  Our highlight of the afternoon? Climbing into the glass elevator in the adjacent hotel and riding it to the top floor and back down again. Felt like I was 15 again. :)

Tomorrow I look forward to church service and Sunday dinner at La Senda.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Sunglasses and Dirty Socks

Even though I am teased about wearing my white sunglasses with the fake diamonds in the sides and having dirty socks, I am grateful to spend time with Veronica and her family.  They love to joke around, enjoy being in each other's company, and love the Lord.  And they have extended their love to me, letting me feel right at home with them.

Together, we ate tons of yummy food.  We talked much, played games, and took walks.  Unfortunately, Veronica lost her cell phone along the way, quite possibly after she played Ding Dong Ditch and we had to run away fast from that house.  It was quite unfortunate.  We also attended church this morning and made cookies this afternoon.

Tomorrow I am going with the La Senda home kids to the beach for three days.  It's Holy Week, and here everyone has vacations.

Sadly, this week is not without its sadness.  I hear more people have accidents this week than almost any other.  Already tonight I arrived home to my mourning neighborhood.  One of the women was hit by a car as she was walking home along the highway.  We knew the news couldn't be good when we drove past the police and ambulance and saw a sheet-covered body lying along the side of the road.  Please pray for comfort and peace for her family during this week.  And pray for protection as we and many others travel.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Davises

 Joey and Me
 The Three Brothers: Tom, Joe, and Tim
 Cousins: Jenny, Christina, Me, Sarah
 Renea, Cousin Joe, and Joey
 Piper, Julia, Little Gabriel, Darrell, and Cousin Lisa
My family with Brent, Doneda, and Jonathan Downs

Twenty-Seven? You're Halfway to Heaven

So said my grandpa to me the last time I saw him.  Probably twenty times.  Every time he asked me how old I was (he forgot quickly, given his dementia), he reminded me promptly of my proximity to death.  At first it was surprising and funny, and then it started to bother my growing consciousness of my age.  However, when my mom pointed out that Grandpa was probably saying this because it rhymed, I felt much more at ease.

Grandpa was always one to have a witty saying on the tip of his tongue.  Whether we visited the OK Café for breakfast and he bantered with the waitress or he greeted one of us kids, he was always ready with an expression that made us smile.  He loved to tell us a tall tale or exaggerate some truth just enough to make us wonder about the veracity of it, until he let us in on his secret that he was pulling our legs.

Some of his tales were true, though they sound more like they sprang from the novels of western writers.  My personal favorites were the buffalo stories.  As a boy, his father owned a buffalo who had a penchant for running away to find himself some lovely cows.  Many a time the neighbor farmers called his father to tell him of his delinquent buffalo, and they had to work hard to trick the buffalo into coming home.  Finally, the fellow was laid to rest and placed in the Hastings museum, where we visited him from time to time on our vacations out west.

The other fantastic Grandpa story was of the Hastings hold-up.  As the son of the mayor, Grandpa was perhaps privy to a bit of the investigation of the now-famous bank robbery where the robbers left with $27,000.  The police couldn't find any of the money; but Grandpa, at eleven years old, and after receiving permission from his father, searched the robbers' getaway car and found $10,000 of the missing money.  A month before he passed, the local news aired an interview with an author who has used this robbery story for fodder, including an interview with Grandpa.  He looked good.

Last week I travelled with my family to remember Grandpa and his adventuresome life.  He was a man of many accomplishments and great intelligence, but above all, I will remember him for his love for us and how he, along with my grandma, always made us feel special when we visited them.

Bank Heist Author, Grandpa Interview

I'm a Shrimp

True, in the States, I am a bit on the shrimpy side height-wise.

Here, though, "Estás pura camarón" [You're pure shrimp] means that you're lobster red.

And after spending the day at the beach with Johana and her family, that's exactly what I am.  What more can you expect from the white skin of a gringa?